Some Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication systems use Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) schemes, in which multiple base stations coordinate beamforming and scheduling of transmissions with one another. Coordinated transmission of this sort is used, for example, in Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) systems, also referred to as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), which are specified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
CoMP schemes for LTE are described, for example, in document RP-101425 of the 3GPP Technical Specification Group (TSG) Radio Access Network (RAN), entitled “Coordinated Multi-Point Operation for LTE,” December, 2010; and in 3GPP TSG RAN document R1-094906, entitled “Downlink MIMO with Coordinated Beamforming and Scheduling,” November, 2009, which are incorporated herein by reference.
The description above is presented as a general overview of related art in this field and should not be construed as an admission that any of the information it contains constitutes prior art against the present patent application.